Mr. Tom Ellisasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what evidence he received from the Medicines Commission leading him to initiate legislation restricting the sale of homoeopathic medicines on the "Prescriptions Only" medicines list of a dilution of 6x or more to a person-to-person basis.
§ Sir George YoungThe Medicines Commission's statutory function is to give advice, not evidence, to Ministers. The commission produced in 1973 a report to Ministers entitled, "Homoeopathic and other minute dose preparations", which was circulated for comment to organisations in the field of homoeopathic medicine. The commission later modified its advice in the light of representations received and the modified proposals were widely circulated by the Department for comment in March 1976. I am sending copies to the hon. Member.